Bradley Beal Trade Rumors: 'Heat Are Seen as a Legitimate Suitor for' Wizards Star

When the Bradley Beal market inevitably sparks back into life in the offseason, the Miami Heat might be a player for the Washington Wizards star.

The Athletic's Shams Charania reported the Heat "are seen as a legitimate suitor for Beal should he elect to seek a new home."

Beal has a $36.4 million player option for 2022-23, but opting out is by far his best move even if he intends to return to Washington. ESPN's Bobby Marks projected the three-time All-Star could earn around $235 million over five years with the Wizards.

The guard's wrist surgery provided him with one incentive to take the biggest long-term payout he can get in the summer rather than exercising the player option and hitting the market in 2024.

Spotrac projects the Heat to have a payroll of around $151.1 million in 2022-23 when factoring in the players under contract and salary-cap holds.

When Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo and Kyle Lowry alone are going to collectively count for $96.3 million, there's no chance Miami can offer Beal a market-level contract as a free agent. The team could, however, execute a sign-and-trade. Sending back Duncan Robinson and his $16.9 million salary would help offset some of the cost.

The extent of the Heat's pursuit of Beal might hinge on how deep they go into the 2022 postseason.

Miami owns the Eastern Conference's best record (47-24), with Lowry's addition having had the intended impact of getting the team closer to title contention. Erik Spoelstra's squad is 10-1 at FanDuel to win the NBA championship, the sixth-best odds in the league.

If the Heat go on to reach the NBA Finals or earn the fourth ring in franchise history, then the need to land a marquee star such as Beal could be less acute. Butler and Lowry will be a year older, but the likes of Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Max Strus would still be in their prime playing years.

An earlier exit than expected, on the other hand, could lead team president Pat Riley to get even more aggressive in capitalizing on the organization's title window.

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